The present invention relates to a protective cover for medical instruments such as hypodermic syringes and in particular to an improved cover design which significantly increases the area of initial contact between the instrument and the cover.
There exists a need to protect health personnel from diseases transmissible through accidental injury incurred in the use of sharp instruments, including hollow needle devices. Such diseases include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, non A non B hepatitis, and others. Sharp instruments currently in use in the health field commonly utilize a cover which serves the dual purpose of maintaining sterility of the instrument while also protecting the user from unintentional self-injury. Many times, injury is inflicted when the user attempts to replace the cover over the sharp instrument after its use on a patient. Because of the limited diameter of the protective cover, the instrument will pass outside the lumen and, pierce the fingers, gloved or ungloved, of the user. This endangers the user through risk of transmission of several blood or body-fluid-born disease agents which may be present in the blood and (or) body fluids of the patient.